Libyan PM Tries To Calm Tensions Over U.S. Raid

Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan speaks to the media during a news conference in Rabat, Morocco, on Tuesday, where he talked about the U.S. action to nab an al-Qaida operative in Tripoli.

Abdeljalil Bounhar
/ AP

Originally published on October 8, 2013 10:24 am

Libya wants to maintain good relations with the United States despite concerns about a U.S. raid that snatched an al-Qaida suspect from the street in Tripoli.

Prime Minister Ali Zeidan said the U.S. and Libya would work out their issues but that his nation "would not surrender its sons."

Those comments follow the summoning of U.S. Ambassador Deborah Jones by Libya on Monday over the capture of Abu Anas al-Libi, who is believed to have played a key role in the 1998 bombings of American embassies in East Africa.

A statement released by Libya's Foreign Ministry said Justice Minister Salah al-Marghani wanted from Jones "a number of explanations concerning the case."

Libya expressed dismay that the U.S. had breached its national sovereignty by not informing Tripoli ahead of time of the Saturday operation.

Secretary of State John Kerry has defended the U.S. action, calling al-Libi a "legal and appropriate target."

The U.S. Embassy in Libya tells the BBC that Jones was "in regular contact with the Libyan government" over the incident.

The BBC writes:

"Mr Marghani and officials from the foreign ministry also met members of Mr Liby's family, who were told of the meeting with the US ambassador, the statement said.

"Mr Ruqai confirmed to the BBC that Libyan officials had met with some family members on Monday, although he had not been at the meeting.

" 'They promised us they would try to arrange for us to get in touch with him [Mr Liby],' he told the BBC."